On April 30 2017, during an away game against Cagliari in the Serie A, Pescara's Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari noticed that a group of fans had been racially insulting him from the start of the match, including a group of children.
"There was a little kid doing it with his parents standing nearby," Muntari recollected later. "So I went over to him and told him not to do it. I gave him my shirt, to teach him that you're not supposed to do things like that. I needed to set an example so he grows up to be nice."
But the abuses continued in the second half. Muntari insisted that the referee must have the courage to stop the game, and was duly booked for dissent. Frustrated, Muntari walked off the pitch in protest during stoppage time, leaving his team to play the last few minutes with 10 men.
Racism is a multi-faceted monster. Every time you think you have it clamped down and under control, it shows its ugly face elsewhere. In various forms and different countries, racism threatens to ruin the beautiful game of football. Several organisations including FIFA and UEFA have expressed solidarity with the victims and promised strict action – but we have a long way to go before racism is completely curbed.
Here are few measures FIFA could take to tackle racism in football:
#5 Mete out lengthy bans
In September 2012, the FA found John Terry guilty of racially abusing Anton Ferdinand during a Premier League match in October 2011. He was handed a four-match ban and a 220,000 pounds fine. A week prior to that match, Luis Suarez was accused of racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra. He was eventually banned for eight matches and fined 40,000 pounds.
While such prompt action is laudable, there is a case to argue that the stakes need to be raised even more. In 2014, FIFA banned Luis Suarez from all "football-related activities" for four months for biting Italy's Giorgio Chiellini – barring him from entering any football stadium during the ban, let alone playing or training for club or country.
Also read: 5 footballers who were found guilty of racism
Such blanket bans should be meted out for racism-related incidents. Racism incidents from spectators already call forth lifetime stadium bans; although not to that extent, it is time to mete out stricter punishments for players and referees as well.
#4 Referees or managers should be empowered to take players off
It is not fair to ask of a player to stand by and continue playing while racist chants are directed at him. Assuring him that suitable action will be taken against the wrongdoers in the aftermath of the game doesn't change anything - professional footballers simply shouldn't have to go through such an experience. One feels sorry for referee Daniele Minelli, who had no choice but to book Muntari for dissent as per regulations.
Referees or Managers should be empowered to take players off. During the recent Confederations Cup, referees were given the authority to stop and call off matches due to racist behaviour from fans. That sets a good precedent for the future; all Football Associations around the world should adopt such measures.
#3 Hold the respective club / national FA responsible
Other than player related incidents, England and Premier League have been largely successful at keeping spectator racism at bay. "I have never heard anything like that in England because I think they don't tolerate it," said Muntari, talking of his time in the Premier League. "England is the example for the world. If a country doesn't tolerate it then it means you get rid of it."
To tackle racism at grassroots level, every club and national FA needs to be held accountable for incidents in their respective stadiums. Handing them hefty fines for such incidents will, in turn, provide an incentive for them to trickle down the punishment even more severely to the actual offenders involved.
#2 Encourage victims to speak up; awareness and education programmes
Racism isn't always an abusive rant in front of a million cameras. Around the world, ethnically minor groups face racism on a daily basis; denying them fair opportunities and thus distancing them from the world of football. Only two out of 92 managers in English football are not white men.
Victims of racist bias need to be encouraged to come forward. If they are not properly educated, we face the dystopian scenario where such people succumb to their fate; too exhausted and exasperated to take the mantle and lead the fight against racism.
Any foreign player arriving in a new league needs to be educated on the provisions for tackling racism in that country, the channels he can go through to get justice and the rights he has as a footballer and as a human being.
#1 Need to introduce a form of "Rooney rule"
The Rooney Rule is an NFL policy that requires league teams to interview minority candidates for head coaching and other football operation jobs. While it is unrealistic to ask teams to hire coaches on the basis of their race, it is certainly a fair requirement that a minority candidate at least gets the opportunity to have a fair crack at the job.
Versions of the Rooney Rule need to echo across football. With the influx of a greater number of ethnic minorities into respectable positions, racism as we know it will eventually die down.
It is a long road ahead – but it is a battle that needs to be fought every day if we are to cleanse football by eliminating racism.
